Overwatch has been a gamer favorite since its release in 2016. Although it’s less popular than it used to be, Blizzard hasn’t stopped working on updates for the game.
On August 22nd, Blizzard released the map set Busan to the PTR server, which is a server meant for testing new features Blizzard releases to Overwatch. Busan is a control map series based in South Korea. The map set was released along with “Shooting Star,” an animated short featuring Hana Song, better known as D.Va. The map set features a Korean sanctuary, an urban map simply named Downtown, and the MEKA Station.
The first map I played, Sanctuary, is set in the mountains of South Korea. The view is gorgeous. Green hills, blue ocean, and well-kept landscaping. Sanctuary is by far the most scenic of the Busan map set.
When you and the rest of your team are released from their spawns on Sanctuary, there’s three ways to get to the point. One straight path, with two side routes. The routes are essentially the same for both teams. The straight route is wide open and without any shield tank, might be a difficult route to take if the point is captured by the enemy team. But it’s faster, so it would be best for an offense hero if they want to contest it in overtime. The side routes offer more cover and have a split to either the control point or to the enemy’s health packs. I would definitely take the side routes to the point because they offer plenty of cover and they’re a good way to sneak a side attack, although it takes longer to get to the point since it’s not the main pathway in. The point is open above it, so it’s a good map for Pharah players, although the drum in the middle of the map makes her ultimate difficult.
The second map I was sent to was Downtown. Downtown is an urban map featuring streets, stores, and a subway where players fight to capture a control point.
Prior to the match starting, I decided to pick Lucio as his speed boost could be helpful with searching for the rumored “karaoke room”. I did have difficulty finding the karaoke room, but eventually I found out it was because it was in the enemy’s spawn room. The spawn room I was in, however, seemed to be a gamer’s room. Not like a bedroom, but a spot for gamers to just go and play PC games. It was a nice contrast to the previous sanctuary map I came from.
When we were released, it was just a typical city. Tall, cramped buildings, and narrow streets. It was nice and colorful and clean, but a little too bland for my tastes. The control point itself was lower than the rest of the map, and occasionally, a bullet train would pass by on the side of the map. It was a nice ambiance, since the control point was a train station. There were two stairwells that led to the point. There were also two other ways to get to the point. Either way is a quick way in, but the side entrances bring more cover, and they’re more direct. They’re good for quick attacks or if a team needs to contest a point. I enjoyed playing the map but overall, it’s not much of a favorite for me.
The third and final map of Busan is the MEKA station. This map obviously pays homage to D.Va’s new animated short released by Blizzard.
The map reminds me of Horizon Lunar Colony since they’re both futuristic and in an undisclosed location. The map itself is sort of like a space station, but it’s simply in the middle of the ocean. The map itself is very spacious, and there’s quite a few ways to the control point. In every direction, there’s a way in. It’s a great map if you like to stay alert while on point. What I enjoy about the control point is that it’s open at first, but upon capturing, there’s walls that raise to cover parts of the point. It’s the first time we’ve seen a point that can change in Overwatch, and it’s a great idea for future maps. For snipers though, it may be more challenging. While I was playing as a sniper, the walls made it a bit difficult to get a clear shot from the small window-type platforms that are perpendicular to each spawn room.
There’s ways to cross the map around, through, above, and under the point. They’re quite similar, which led to me getting lost. Although, the room that’s right next to the control point is a useful spot for heroes that can wall climb. Inside the room, there’s a spot that has what seems to be a broken elevator. Luckily, it’s open, so if you can climb walls, all you have to do is climb, or place a teleporter on top of it and you’ll be on the second floor of the map overlooking the point. Even though the room is good for mobility, I believe it was primarily added for story depth. Upon entering the room, there’s a few display rooms that have a colored light and a mech suit correspondent to its respective light color, except for one. There’s a pink-lit room, but the mech is missing. This feels a bit eerie, since in Hana’s new short it was revealed that she is the last living member of her squadron. It’s a smaller yet intriguing detail put into the map by Blizzard. Overall though, the map is solid. There’s many opportunities for different types of team composition. This could intensify the gameplay in competitive mode. This map is a must play.
Busan is definitely one of Overwatch’s more unique map sets. Although they all are inspired by different parts of the world, Busan has a more unique feel to it. It’s very enjoyable to play on, and it’s more versatile when it comes to all the heroes’ ranges and abilities. I would recommend it to all players of any hero variety.